1. Field of the Invention
This application relates generally to end of life product management tools for computer hardware, and more particularly, to a hard drive impairment tool.
2. Background
Databases storing private consumer and business information are often physically stored as digitally encoded data on rotating platters having magnetic surfaces. These platters are usually enclosed in hard drives. Data platters in a hard drive are typically made using an aluminum or glass substrate having a thin coating of various metallic alloys covered in magnetic film. The magnetic regions on the platter's surface each represent a binary unit of data. One or more platters may be mounted on a spindle, where the platter(s) rotate while a hard drive head reads and writes the magnetically charged data on the platter's surface.
As computer hardware and software become more sophisticated, computer users upgrade to newer versions of hardware and often dispose of their old hardware. This application discloses a system and method to safely and securely impair and/or destroy data platters containing confidential information before disposing of the hard drive.